Dobbies sales and profits rise

Dobbies Garden Centres has posted a strong rise in sales and profits for the year to October 31, but the tough trading climate kept like-for-like sales flat.

In its preliminary results, the company said sales rose 12.1 per cent to£60.6 million, operating profit climbed 13.4 per cent to£7.1 million and pre-tax profits rose 4.4 per cent to£5 million. Like-for-like sales pushed up a modest 1.5 per cent.

Dobbies is opening about two to three stores a year. In the recent financial year, it opened a 55,000 sq ft store at Stirling, redeveloped its Ponteland store to a 50,000 sq ft Garden World and acquired the freehold of a Perth store.

It is developing a large Garden World at Cirencester, scheduled to open in April, and has obtained planning permission for another at Milton Keynes, due for completion in autumn. Three further sites have been earmarked for development, near Sheffield, Belfast and Dunfermline.

Dobbies chief executive James Barnes said: 'Since our last trading announcement, sales in January increased by 20.8 per cent, up 5.9 per cent on a like-for-like basis. Cumulatively, therefore, total sales for the 13 weeks to January 29 have increased by 12.3 per cent, down 0.9 per cent like-for-like.'